Rachel's love for nature and science was kicked off by a childhood exploring the bayous and beaches of southern Mississippi. As a biology student at Loyola University New Orleans, she spent time in Laos researching Mekong River fishes, sparking a passion for travel and conservation. This wanderlust has taken her to 71 countries – six of which she has lived in.

In 2010, Rachel investigated illegal wildlife trade and natural resource use in Vietnam for her ecology master’s thesis at the University of East Anglia, England. She published her research in the scientific journal Oryx. In 2011, she earned a second master’s degree at New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP).

She lives in Brooklyn with a computer programmer and a large orange cat. Reach her at rachelnuwer at gmail.